As an event producer I am asked constantly by artists if my show would be right for them. I answer as honestly as I can, then I caution them about believing me or other event producers. I always suggest that they consult either the Art Fair Sourcebook (which I perceive to be only for the top quality artists) and Sunshine Artist (which I believe also is a source for newer artists). I also urge them to talk with other artists to get their opinions on the best shows.
Why do I caution people about just listening to the event producers? Even the best of us are not certain how your individual work will do in any market at anytime. There are too many variables. I believe it is in my best interest to get happy artists in my show- ones that are likely to have a good experience and to do well. I don't know if this is the philosophy of other producers.
What works best for you in selecting shows? What resources are not helpful? Also, is there some important information that is often not shared by show producers?
Comments
Shows run by art centers, art museums or other artist groups
Fine art or fine craft. I never do well at shows that are called "craft shows"
About 100 booths
Shows in a city where there aren't an over abundance of art fairs ( and do THE main show that they do have)
Generally I avoid shows that have other events like music and food going on at the same time.
I have been able to find a lot of shows that are great for me this way. And a lot of times these
shows are not impossible to get into.
If I am going to be driving more than 12 hours I will try to contact artists that have done the show to get their take on it.
I use a combination of resources -- when I first started, a good friend wrote down a list of the top twenty-five shows in the country. That was my goal, and I used Sunshine Artist's Audit Book and monthly listings to build a more local list of shows. I started using Art Fair Sourcebook, and found that my work did best if the show was listed in AFSB... some of the more local shows weren't as good a fit for my style of fine art photography.
There are a whole lot more resources now, including the NAIA forum, Art-Linx.com, this site and others. They are all useful, but I found AFSB particularly helpful, in that the online database has not only contact info and links, but also historical information. The artists forum and reviews also give a very good picture of what to expect from the show -- almost as good as word of mouth. Word of mouth still works very well, and occasionally I'll learn of a show that doesn't hit AFSB radar that way. Now that I've been doing shows for a while, I have a fairly consistent list of shows to apply to every year.
But that list of the top A-list shows still remains my goal -- I only have a few more to crack!
If you're interested, here's the post:
25 Top Art Shows in the US | Life As An Itinerant Artist
I just put up a big map of the United States on a dart board and throw darts. Wherever the dart lands, that's the show I do. Just kidding. Actually, I go by word of mouth from my friends, usually those in other mediums. I look at last years exhibitor list. I can usually tell the quality of the show by who is doing it.
Mark, I see that I am doing your Clay and Glass show. I know the story of how it got started and all. I've been meaning to give it a try in the past, but, just now got around to signing up. I've done other Clay and Glass shows before and they have been really good. I'll see you in June if I don't talk to you before.